Venice In A Day ~ Food & Art Tours™

Cicchetti Tour, Poet’s Walking Tour, Murano & Burano Boat Tour~1 Day

Discover the food, art & wine of Venice in any of the one day Venice tour options. Visit the Rialto Market, Murano, Burano, Dorsoduro of Venice. Learn the history of Venetian masks, walk the small neighborhoods in a Bacaro tour while tasting and sipping your way through magical Venice. The one-of-a-kind Venice tours offer an insider’s view of the beautiful region built on 117 enchanting islands.

* Please note: prices do not include transportation, accommodations or any other excursions.

Cicchetti Tour

Food Lover’s Tour with Tastins, Art & Culture

The Chicchetti Tour features a walk through the canals of Venice with our English speaking guide while visiting the bacari, a typical Venetian bar, for food tastings. The 2 hour tour starts in the afternoon and takes through the canals of Venice including stops in a historical bacari, where you will taste small portions of local foods that pair up with the local Venetian wine. Chicceti food will include, sarde in soar, a sweet and sour fish specialty, polpette di carne or polpette di tonno, Venetian veal or tuna meatballs, tramezzini, an assortment of delicate tea sandwiches, moscadini boleti, baby octopus, baccala mantecato, whipped baccala, capesante al forgo, baked scallops, to name a few. A true cicchetti experience offers you an an assortment of traditional apetitizers with an ombre, a glass of wine from Veneto. Your guide brings you into the Venetian tradition with a stroll at sunset and a colorful experience of meeting locals, sipping the delicious wines of the regions and tasting a wide variety of delicious, carefully prepared cuisine of Venice!

Program Prices

155 Euros per person, based on 2 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.
90 Euros per person, based on 4 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

The Venice Writer’s, Poets & Literati Tour

A Walking Tour in the Footsteps of the Great Writers of Venice

The Venice Writer’s, Poets & Literati Walking Tour follows the footsteps of the great writers who once lived and wrote here. Your English speaking guide will take you through canals and over bridges while explaining the great writers and reading passages from their work, including Lord Byron, Marcel Proust, Henry James, Richard Wagner, Thomas Mann, and Ernest Hemingway – to name a few. This tour brings you to the places where the words themselves come to life. More than a walk through the city, Writers, Poets & Literati Tour, you will see and learn about landmarks, monuments and the authors who made them come alive in their writings. Entrance fees not included.

Program Prices

315 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 6 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Campo Saint Margherita Guided Walking Tour

Artisan Market-Outdoor Cafés-Bookshops

The Campo Santa Margherita Walking Tour includes all our favorite cafes, stops & shops. Start with our award-winning Venetian artist who has captured many schools of art, picturesque watercolors of Venetian palazzos, gondolas and waterways, to his vibrant oils on canvas of life on the Grand Canal, to his hand-crafted masks in gold and crystals. His studio comprises his work and that of other Venetian artists.

Then it’s off to the Campo Santa Margherita, where bookshops, cafés, and pastry shops line the narrow footpath that leads to the Campo. The Dorsoduro quarter is also home to the San Sebastiano and San Trovaso churches. The Campo is a large piazza lined with several cafés whose chairs spill onto the square on a warm sunny day. There is also a tiny morning market, whose owner calls out the best buy of the day. Stop for a time out, sip a steamy cappuccino and write a post card.

Continue on to Maurizo’s. He owns one of the best-stocked organic markets for authentic Venetian food, wine and provisions. Our well-heeled food lover, Maurizio is a connoisseur of quality Venetian rice, polenta, pasta, cheese, wood-oven bread, local wine, and he knows how to cook Venetian food to perfection. His wine corner stocks Venice’s only locally produced wine made on the island Torcello. Bring your shopping list and recipe book, and let Maurizo fill your shopping basket. His knowledge and passion for Venetian food, wine and traditional cooking is insurmountable.

We suggest a lunch on your own at our local trattoria for the best pranzo, or lunch in the Campo. Tickle your taste buds with the Fragolino, the “Forbidden Wine.” The pink sparkling wine pairs well with lunch! Pink fresh shrimp tossed with rucola and black Venetian pasta, a fresh glass of local wine to follow, a semifreddo dessert, the “Grand Canal,” topped with a sun-colored glaze. This is just a sample of the gourmet fare served in the gastronomical food mecca.

Visit Venice’s most treasured mask-maker Stefano. The award-winning Baroque mask maker applauded by the Venetian Academy has the “DOC” stamp. All of his creations are produced in limited edition.

For a sweet ending, dive in and experience a Venetian chocolate tradition! The famous artisan chocolate maker transforms the cocoa bean and modern recipes with a twist. Chocolate works of art are inspired by the magically, mysterious atmosphere of Venice. White, dark, caramel, caffè, and lemon – flavors are endless!

Program Prices

155 Euros per person, based on 2 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.
90 Euros per person, based on 4 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Venice Lagoon Tour To Murano & Burano

Meet your English speaking guide for a Lagoon Tour to Murano & Burano with private boat. This 4-hour tour takes you to the into the lagoon of Venice to the Islands of Murano, known for the famous glass-blowing, and Burano, known for the artisan lace, merletto & the local speciality bussolai buranelli, egg yolk- yellow cookies perfect for dipping in Vin Santo, tea or even Prosecco! Your guide with share with you the secrets about these arts, where to eat and where to shop. This is a unique way to visit the islands of Murano and Burano!

Program Prices

Please call for details on availability and pricing based on group size.

Venetian Mask Workshop Visit

Create & Design Your Own Mask

This incredible Venetian Mask experience takes you into the workshop of a renowned Venetian mask-maker for a discussion and historical look at Venetian mask. Learn how the artisan mask is born, the steps needed to create a mask, and the stories and myths behind the masks of Carnevale and Venetian commedie dell’arte.

After your presentation, you may choose to decorate your own mask (at an extra cost on site prices vary accordingly depending on mask, jewels and decorations). Learn about traditional decoration and characters such as the classic Bauta, a simple full face mask, la Farfalla, the butterfly style mask, la Dama, the woman, Pinocchio, Zanni, servants and Jolly, the joker. Paint and decorate your mask of choice with ribbons, feathers, crystals, beads and more.

Program Prices

220 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 10 people. Tour available from Monday to Friday. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Decorate your own mask for including instruction and supplies to create your own mask & bring it home with you. Prices vary based on group size. Please call for more information.

Hidden Venice From Dorsoduro To Zattere

The Hidden Venice Tour takes you into secret corners of the Dorsoduro district, Venice’s elegant Rive Gauche, for an insightful visit to one of Venice’s oldest neighborhoods. The 2 hour tour with English speaking guide takes you from the vast Campo Santa Margherita, filled with locals, students and artists at cafe tables in open air to San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, once a neighborhood of seafarers and fishermen, still retains its charm and spirit. The tour continue then to the Renaissance church of San Sebastiano – one of the saints invoked to save the sick during the Black Plague – masterly decorated with frescoes and canvases by Paolo Veronese, who lies buried here. Past San Trovaso, one of the last gondola yards, our tour ends at the Zattere, the sunny promenade along the Giudecca Canal, particularly frequented by the Venetians in the warm summer evenings.

Program Prices

315 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 6 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Hidden Venice: The Melting Pot

Harbor and market, production center of luxury goods and stop in the Grand Tour: for reasons of commerce, education or pleasure, Venice always attracted many foreigners, and managed to live in peace and prosperity with them. This exotic blend of cultures and people created unique artistic results. In a secluded courtyard, a few steps away from St Mark’s, stands the Orthodox church of St. George of the Greeks: Italian in its architectural forms, it enshrines a rich iconic decoration by Cretan artists. A little further is the Brotherhood of the Dalmatian people, whose brave soldiers were loyal to the Republic until the very end. The intense Renaissance atmosphere of Carpaccio’s paintings will transport you back in time. We then reach the Rialto Bridge, where the German community had its social and business center since the Middle Ages. The imposing facade of the German Fontego, former inn as well as trading center, still dominates the area.

Program Prices

315 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 6 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Cannareggio & Jewish Venice

Cannaregio, one of the six sestieri, neighborhoods of Venice is even today an area inhabited by Venetians. Past the busy open air market, explore the Jewish Ghetto, and walk down along the luminous canals to the Gothic church of la Madonna dell’Orto that hosts powerful canvases by Tintoretto (along with his tomb). Past this tranquil area, at the extreme northern point of town, enjoy a marvelous, melancholy view over the lagoon, where the cemetery island of San Michele, comes into view.

After your tour, you may choose to continue on and visit three of Venice’s synagogues with a tour departing from the Jewish Museum. Synagogue tour not included; directions provided to continue on your own.

Program Prices

315 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 6 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Venetian Museum: Accademia, Ca’Rezzonico, Guggenheim

Enjoy an in-depth 3-hour guided tour through your choice of Venetian museum. Choose from the famous Galleria dell’Accademia, where the most important collection of Venetian paintings are held, dating from the 14th to 17th century, Ca’ Rezzonico, a museum dedicated to exploring 18th century Venice in this extravagant private residence from that period. Or, choose the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, an American art museum with Venetian charm, the most important museum in Italy for European and American arts of the first half of the 20th century, with works by artists such as Picasso, Braque, De Chirico, Kandinsky and more.

Program Prices

315 Euros total, based on groups of 1 to 6 people. All taxes and Italian VAT included.Entrance fees are not included and payable at the door.

Secure credit card – we will send you a payment request through Paypal for your order. You do not need an account with PayPal to pay with your credit card – simply login with your credit card by clicking “Don’t have a PayPal account?” link at the bottom of the login page for PayPal.

Venetian Glass Blowing Tour

Join us in an artisan glass making tour on the romantic island of Murano. Sail to the island of Murano with Cooking Vacations for a fun and unique day of glass-blowing and artisan jewelry making with a family who has been making Venetian glass for centuries.

Each guest will have a unique experience in a small group with our master Murano glassmakers learning how to select glass, blending colors and even adding threads of gold in the process to make the perfect final product either earrings, glass beads, necklace, bracelets – or even a complete set.

Murano glass making, dating back to the 7th century, includes using crystalline glass, smalto, and aventurine, with threads of gold, millefiori, multicolored and lattimo, mild glass. It is a serious art and today the Venetian artisans continue to create masterpieces of chandeliers, frames, jewel boxes and glasses for Champagne and wine!

Learn techniques of layering of colored liquid glass, cane working, filigree, engraving and submersion and sommerso – or submerged. Following the tour, you will be able to create your own glass piece using over 100 glass beads and pieces to create either a necklace, bracelet or mosaic, beads, supplies and final necklace or bracelet included in price. The tour is 2 hours, starting from your pick up, tour and 30 minute glass making workshop.

Program Prices

$135 per person, based on 2 people, all taxes and Italian VAT included.

2019 Dates: This program is available throughout the year and tours are available every day based on request. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included. Group transfers for any cooking tour or tours that include transfers, are for the group and are not private. Transfers before, after or to another destination outside of your cooking tour are not included in the program price. If you would like to add on a private transfer or transfers, let us know and we will send you pricing.